The Plymouth City Commission has unanimously approved an agreement with Daisy Plymouth LLC for the demolition of the Daisy wall.

Written by

Matt Jachman

Gannett Michigan

The only standing remnant of the Daisy Manufacturing Co. — a 131-year-old, three-story brick wall on Union Street near Main — is headed for demolition after the Plymouth City Commission approved a plan by a condominium developer earlier this month to tear it down, dashing the hopes of preservationists.

The walls of the former Daisy factory, known for producing the celebrated Red Ryder Daisy Air Rifle that Ralphie Parker longed for in “A Christmas Story,” were supposed to have been incorporated into the condominium project, but three other walls were torn down in 2005. The developer at the time said it would be too costly to refurbish and preserve what was left and abandoned the project.

A new developer, Daisy Plymouth, took over and petitioned the city to approve the wall’s demolition. Daisy Plymouth plans to build a small park to memorialize the site’s history as a factory. The deal requires the wall to come down before building permits can be issued.

Craig Singer, vice president of Milford, Singer and Co., the parent company of Daisy Plymouth, said he hopes to get the wall torn down this week so he can have the foundation for one condominium building finished before the weather gets colder.

Wendy Harless, president of the Plymouth Preservation Network (PPN), said not keeping the Daisy Wall “is a missed opportunity” to draw tourists interested in the history of the famous air rifle. She said she regularly hears from air rifle collectors around the country who “can’t believe we let it go.”

“I truly feel that the PPN did everything possible to save the wall. Advocating for the preservation of Plymouth’s historic structures is part of (its) mission” and part of the reason the organization was formed, Harless wrote in an e-mail.

Singer’s company is planning 21 two-story, townhouse-condominium units in seven buildings on about 3 acres at Daisy Square, which Daisy Plymouth purchased from the original developer, Joseph Freed and Associates.

Singer said the units will each have three or four bedrooms and range in size from about 1,700 square feet to about 2,300. Each will have a two-car garage. There will be five floor plans, Singer said. Prices will start around $275,000.

The new developer will donate the window lintels and 200 bricks from the Daisy Wall to the preservation network, and Harless said the bricks will be sold as a fund-raiser for the purchase of historical markers and a brochure on Plymouth’s historic district.